Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Heinz Fitty-Seven…

Best hounds I ever had. Ain’t saying it can’t be right with a purebred - cause I’ve had them too.. And loved em… But the “canardly’s” rock. They are a mixture of all of what’s out there, and generally, the good surfaces from their heritage.

Henry Heinz was rather unique.. His first product in 1869 was horseradish. Unlike his competitors - who hid their concoctions (interspersed with leaves, wood fiber, turnip filler) in green glass jars - Heinz used transparent bottles to show/brag about his product. A fine mixture.

Believe it or not, with the banking panic of 1875 - he went bankrupt. Like the average boxer, Heinz steadied himself upright - and invented ketchup the next year… Sailed to England some ten years later, started marketing internationally… Came back from Germany after observing how well factories there treated people - and the positive effect it had on both the employees and productivity… came home.. Instilled new social benefits and services for his own employees…

Blend. It’s all about the blend. Ole Henry kept his eyeballs open - viewed all - tossed out the bad, kept the good in the backa his mind for use later.

Tiger Woods. At age 21, he’d won the Masters. Touted as The Great Black Hope - he appeared and announced, “nope.. I’m Cablinasian.” Woods made his remarks on "Oprah," when he was asked if it bothered him to be called an African-American. "It does," he said. "Growing up, I came up with this name: I'm a 'Cablinasian.'" As in Caucasian-black-Indian-Asian. Woods has a black father (or to be precise, if I am interpreting Woods' reported ancestry correctly, a half-black, one-quarter American Indian, one-quarter white father) and a Thai mother (or, with the same caveat, a half-Thai, half-Chinese mother). "I'm just who I am," Woods told Oprah Winfrey, "whoever you see in front of you."

I’m just who I am.

I remember being, oh, around 12. We lived in a shoebox, but, it was cattycorner from the high school - and I could go run, play, shoot baskets, dream of scoring touchdowns all day. One day, onea sister’s friends came over. Now she was hella rich. Purebred I guess. Hell their front yard was bigger than our subdivision, and I ain’t talking country, they lived in town! Anyways, come time for her to go.. Called home.. “yes.. It’s that little-bitty white house at the corner of Ridge and Kansas.”

It’s ok. We were blended. Like ole Henry, we kept our eyeballs open - viewed all - tossed out the bad, kept the good in the backa his mind for use later.

Life’s that way ya know? God Bless the educators who we’ve learned from, both professionally, and from conversations with plain Jane’s/John’s around the table, in passing.

Thank goodness for the way folks talk funny back East, to the ones that get wrinkly so fast in the Southeast (but are smiley), to the ones who throw out their broke dryer in the back 40 in the Midwest, the bilingual, tanned South, the rough and ready’s of the Pacific Northwest, to the fast paced Left Coasters. We ams what we ams. Blended. United.

Counted last night. Fitty-seven ‘buddies’ on my Hotmail page. Figured, what the hey, I likes to write. I likes em all. I ams what I ams thanks to many of them. Why not write ‘em each? Huh? Fitty-seven emails? Yup, and with it, they won’t know the significance - but that’s well and good. From each I take something - and hopefully have given along the way.

I only got 18 done last night - but it’s a start. Went to a party the other night. Ex sister inlaw. Fortunately, she too believes that just causea marriage ends, friendships don’t haveta. I did my usual “go from this group, to that group, mostly listening.” I ain’t a centerpiece, never have been, never will. Others are hella better than that. I just blend in. Blend ain’t bad.

Reckon it’s time to go getta baga salted peanuts and my favorite blenda coffee and take on the day. Thanks again to any/all who’ve ever lefta comment here. I learn from them. I learn just by watching you. I ain’t book smart - but I feel there’s a lot to be said for “wearing other’s shoes.” Helps me blend in.

And, oh, somewhere around 3:30pm today Maynard will say “hey, would you mind swinging thru McDonalds to get me a large fry and a plain double-cheeseburger?”… To which I reply, “sure son.. And I know, I know.. Don’t forget the ketchup.” Fitty-seven.

Toodles - going to blend in now. Have a yummy day, love, Victurd

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